Fertilizers can be expensive agricultural inputs for small-scale farmers, but there are technologies being developed which can offer farmers less expensive ways to ensure their soils are fertile and healthy.

Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, is one such example of a bio-fertilizer, a type of organic fertilizer which contains living organisms and harnesses naturally occurring inputs like solar energy, nitrogen, and water toensure soil fertility and plant growth. Small-scale farmers using bio-fertilizers have the potential to provide larger and more sustainable yields and healthier soils for themselves and their communities.

Currently, lack of soil fertility is the primary cause ofdeclining per-capitafood production in sub-Saharan Africa. Bio-fertilizers can help to maintain the natural soil habitat, while also improving fertility. More specifically, cyanobacteria fix nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for supporting plant growth. The cyanobacteria tap the sun’s energy captured during photosynthesis to fix nitrogen from the air and turn it into a form which plants can use. The cyanobacterial fertilizer production begins with cultures which are seeded in shallow ponds and are ready to use a few weeks later. According to researchers at theCentre for Conservation and Utilization of Blue Green Algaeat theIndian Agricultural Research Institute, cyanobacteria can be useful for agricultural development because they “offer an economically attractive and ecologically sound alternative to chemical fertilizers for realizing the ultimate goal ofincreased productivity"

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